Background
The SVRI promotes the leadership of LMIC-based researchers and builds the capacity of global research institutions in these countries. Through our grant-making, we strive to balance research resources and power between high, low- and middle-income countries. This is not an easy task, as the available data on where knowledge in broader terms is currently being produced, by who and for who shows. The most recent UNESCO Science Report: towards 2030 shows that - although some LMICs have increased their investment in research – the gaps at the global level are still huge: ‘The ‘Big Five’ – US, European Union, China, Japan and the Russian Federation still account for 72% of all researchers. Researchers from lower-income countries are still pursuing career opportunities abroad but their destination of choice is widening’. A recent report from the French Development Agency on international funding for research in Africa states that: ‘In 2013, Africa had 169 researchers per million inhabitants: 4.6 times less than Asia and 24 times less than France, which had 4,125 researchers per million inhabitants. The limited available data in our field also shows that many of the research programmes in the field of VAW are favouring researchers from high-income countries or researchers from LMICs who end up pursuing careers in HICs, with the consequent scarcity of knowledge production emanating from LMICs.
Although there have been some reports mapping the availability – or lack thereof – of resources to address VAW, they have focused on funding for programmes and have focused on specific situations or areas of intervention, such as VAW prevention and humanitarian settings. Information on the funding streams at the global level, amounts, focus and recipients of funding for research in our field in LMICs is extremely limited and what is available is not easily accessible with the information scattered across multiple sources and information sites.
The SVRI, in partnership with the Equality Institute and supported by an anonymous donor, is in the process of updating our global research agenda on violence against women. To accompany the process, we have identified the need to map and understand the current streams and gaps in funding, in order to develop and promote an effective strategy that will ultimately provide ethical, sufficient and sustainable funding for the new research agenda. This project will contribute to the development of sound, independent and actionable research agendas led by researchers, activists, programme implementers and policymakers in low- and middle-income countries.
Research objectives 
Main goal
This project wiil provide an overview of the status of funding for research on VAW in LMICs, highlight the inequitable distribution of resources and propose possible strategies to overcome the unequal access to funding for research in the field.
Specific objectives:
- Provide an overview of the funding flows for research in the field of VAW in LMICs from key international donors in the field, vis a vis funding for researchers and research institutions based in high-income countries. This would include an analysis of funding for research in the framework of broad programmes in LMICs aimed mainly at addressing VAW from a programmatic point of view.
- Provide an overview of the extent to which national governments in LMICs – through key government departments and research foundations – are supporting research on VAW and the related budgetary allocations.
- Provide an overview of the research on VAW undertaken by academic institutions in LMICs and the funding sources for the research.
- Provide an overview of the key areas in the field for which research funding is being provided by donors and national governments in LMICs. I.e.: whether the focus is on prevention or response.
- Propose possible strategies to improve the access to funding for research on VAW in LMICs through partnerships and cooperation between donors, governments, researchers and practitioners.
The research will be used for advocacy purposes around research in the field with multi-lateral, bi-lateral, independent foundations, international non-governmental organisations, philanthropists, key government departments and research foundations in LMICs, activists and programme implementers in LMICs.
For further information on the project please contact Joy Watson: watsonjoyann@gmail.com and Elizabeth Dartnall: elizabeth@svri.org.
